A weekly newsle er for Parents, Carers, Students, Governors and Staff 13 December 2019

Dear Parents and Carers

I would like to thank Mr Robinson, Fr Christopher, Fr Jeremy

and Fr Malcom for organising and contribu ng to our

Reconcilia on Services. It was so lovely to see so many

students take the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of

Reconcilia on as part of their Advent prepara on.

We are looking forward to our Carol Service next Wednesday

evening at St John the Evangelist Church where we will be

joined by St John’s RC Primary School. Please do join us for

this joyous evening.

On Wednesday evening Mr Davis and the English Faculty took

Y11 students to the Bristol Old Vic where they all enjoyed

watching a performance of their GCSE set text, ‘A Christmas

Carol’.

Congratula ons to Emily W whose disserta on will be

published in the forthcoming edi on of ‘The Scholar’. Emily

par cipated in The Brilliant Club’s Scholars Programme last

year and it is a wonderful achievement that her disserta on

has been recognised as outstanding.

On Wednesday the kitchen will be serving Christmas lunch and

as Advent con nues we will be holding our Merry Mini

Christmas Market at lunch me on Thursday, along with a

Christmas Dress Up Day to raise money for Julian House.

I would like to thank Mr Leaman and all our A Level Poli cs

students for organising our St Gregory’s elec on on Tuesday.

This was a valuable experience for students and mirrored the

elec on process. See Mr Leaman’s report later in this

newsle er.

I would like to remind parents and carers that next Friday 20

December the school day will finish at 1.30pm. We will be

holding Christmas Liturgies during lesson 1 and 2. Students

will be able to buy food and snacks at break me if they so

wish and will catch their normal mode of transport home at

1.30pm.

Ms A Cusack, Headmistress

Dates for your Diary

Next Week: Week A

Wed 18 Dec Christmas Lunch

Wed 18 Dec Carol Service at St John’s Church, 6.30pm

Thu 19 Dec Christmas Mu i Day Aid of Julian House

Thu 19 Dec The Merry Mini Christmas Market at

Lunch me

Fri 20 Dec End of Term 2 ‐ The school day will finish

at 13:30

Tue 7 Jan Term Begins for Students

Mon 6 Jan Inset Day ‐ SCHOOL CLOSED TO

STUDENTS

Year 11 Language Revision Days

The Languages Faculty would like to make Year 11

students aware of some Language Revision Days

available for students at Bath Spa University.

These fun and crea ve ac vity days help students to

develop language skills that will be valuable back in the

classroom and in their future examina ons (all exam

boards).

Students may a end the events unaccompanied;

students can ask their language teacher for an

applica on form or parents/carers can book directly

via the link below. A full day is 9.30am to 3.00pm and

costs £32.

February Half Term Holiday ‐ GCSE Speaking

Exam Prepara on ‐ Year 11

April Easter Holiday—GCSE Reading and

Listening Exam Prepara on ‐ Year 11

To find out more about any of the above please email

d.mar n@bathspa.ac.uk

Please remember aerosol sprays are strictly forbidden in school.

Notice to Parents/Carers

Whilst the school is grateful to parents/carers for their efforts to keep students in school, can we please remind you that it is important when recovering from a sickness bug to keep students away from school for the required 48 hours.

Mrs Gailey, Medical Response Officer

THE LANGUAGES CORNER

French:

Par contre ….= on the other hand/ in contrast…

I help local chari es , on the other hand/in contrast.

J’aide les organisa ons locales par contre j’aide moins les

organisa ons interna onals.

I love my li le sister on the other hand I hate my brother.

J’adore ma pe te soeur par contre je déteste mon frère.

German:

vorhaben = to have planned / to intend

e.g. Ich habe vor ins Kino zu gehen. = I am intending to go

to the cinema.

7. Frohe Weihnachten! / Fröhliche Weihnachten! = Merry

Christmas!

Mandarin:

费了很大功夫 (fèile hěn dà gōngfū) tried really hard 我费

了很大功夫才找到这份工作。(Wǒ fèile hěn dà gōngfū

cái zhǎodào zhè fèn gōngzuò) I tried really hard to find this job. Spanish: Estoy más sano que una pera ‐ literally I am healthier than a pear – Im fit as a fiddle.

Tue

17

8.30am

Staff Morning Prayer

Wed

18

All Day

6.30pm

Carol Service Rehearsals

Carol Service at St John’s Church

Thu

19

11.05am

1.30pm

Rosary

Merry Mini Christmas Market

Fri

20

P1 & P2

11.05am

1.30pm

Liturgies

Shared Prayers

Games

Mon

16

11.05am

1.30pm

1.30pm

Shared Prayer

Chris an Union (G9)

Arts and Cra s

First Holy Communion 2020 The prepara on programme for the First Holy

Communion is due to start at the beginning of

January. Applica ons to par cipate need to be in no

later than 31 December. If your child is due to prepare

for First Holy Communion at St John’s please contact

Father Christopher as soon as possible on 01225

464471 or email:

christopher.whitehead@cli ondiocese.com

Polite Reminder:

Please make sure your lunch money accounts are

topped up at Breakfast Service as Sodexo Staff

cannot top accounts up at lunch me due to the

business of the lunch me service.

Christmas Lunch Menu

Wednesday 18 December 2019

Roast Turkey, Sage & Onion Stuffing,

Pork Sausage

or

Quorn Fillet or Sausage

All served with

Roasted Potatoes, Peas, Carrots,

Brussel Sprouts, Cranberry Sauce and Gravy

Christmas Cookies for Desert

Includes a Christmas Cracker

Price: £3.00

HEAD LICE

We are aware there have been a few cases of head lice. It is important that you please: Look at your child’s hair this evening. Treat if necessary straight away. It is VITAL that you treat the whole family

to prevent re‐infec on. Check your family’s hair on a daily basis. It is advisable to have long hair ed back as this will help prevent the spread of head lice.

Mrs Gailey, Medical Response Officer

Chaplaincy Timetable

Break Lunch A er School

Mon KS4 Trampolining (Gym) Y7/8 Boys football (Bath City)

Tue GCSE Table Tennis (Gym)

Y11 Netball for 2 weeks

House Rugby for 2 weeks (Y10 & Y11)

Wed KS3 Trampolining (Gym) GCSE PE Coursework

Y7 Hockey

Girls Football (Bath City) KS3 Basketball (Courts)

Thu KS3 Hockey Skills (Astro) GCSE Trampolining (Gym) Y8&9 Hockey

Y7 & Y8 Indoor Athle cs (Gym)

Fri Table Tennis (Gym) KS4 Basketball (Gym)

Sports Clubs Timetable

Advent Reconcilia on Services On Tuesday of this week the whole school took part in Advent Reconcilia on Services giving them an opportunity to prepare their heart for Christmas. Advent is a me of prepara on , much of which involves material things, yet the most important part of prepara on should be ourselves. We began our services by reflec ng on the way we communicate, comparing our new technology with the most basic methods of communica ng as well as challenging how we use our phones for guidance ('Ask Siri', 'OK google', check

the internet for advice). We explored how it might be if we treat our phones and a bible in the same way. For example, would we run back home to get a bible like we would if we forgot our phone, or would we check in with the bible for an hour over the day (as that is the average me young people browse on their phones). The point of it all was to highlight the 'Year of The Word' en tled 'The God who speaks' which asks us to increase our apprecia on for the role of scripture and see scripture as God speaking to us. This seemed the perfect introduc on into listening to Sunday's Gospel where John the Bap st calls us to repent and be guided towards Jesus. He points the way to our saviour and points our hearts back to where we are strongest. Fr Jeremy spoke vividly about this and how we can ask ourselves the ques on, 'Who is the centre of my life, where is my heart at?'

For many of our students reflec ng on the final video montage featuring an examina on of conscience was a necessary and challenging way to look inward and prepare this Advent, whilst for many others taking the opportunity to go to the Sacrament of Reconcilia on was gratefully received. Thank you to Fr Christopher, Fr Jeremy and Fr Malcolm for giving their me to hear our many confessions! Christmas Hamper Appeal Today was our final day for collec ng items for the Christmas Hamper Appeal. The love and generosity put into all the ones I have seen so far has been truly moving. Please do contact the school if you would like to nominate someone or a family to receive one of our hampers.

Mr Robinson, Lay Chaplain

Bath Christmas Tree Farm.Com

Enjoy the experience of choosing your tree.

We will cut and net your

selec on from two varie es ‐

all sizes available.

We are located behind the

layby on the A367 Dunkerton

to Peasedown Road and are

open 10:00 un l dusk.

Telephone: 01225 872908

Mobile: 07376 768091

Bath Area Play Project Appeal

A massive thank you to the whole of Year Ten for dona ng an astounding amount of gi s, toys, books and food for The Bath Area Play Project. The charity were so pleased and grateful for your dona ons; many families will have a special Christmas this year because of you!

Miss E Stork, Teacher of English and Year 10 Tutor

Poetry Success!

Congratula ons to Alanis B and Dilukshy S for the

recent success of their poetry work. Both young

ladies a end the Saint Gregory’s Young Writer’s

Club and have won their first compe on with their

outstanding poetry. Their work will be featured in

the ‘Through Their Eyes’ anthology of poems, and

will be available in our library very soon.

Miss E Stork, Teacher of English and Year 10 Tutor

Year 11 Trip to see ‘A Christmas Carol’ – Wednesday 11 December

103 Year 11 students enjoyed a trip to see an adapta on of the Dickens classic at the Bristol Old Vic. It was a very fes ve

produc on, complete with singing, dancing and merriment all‐round. Characters quoted directly from the text, so it was

also pre y good revision! Well worth the late night and the slightly red faces the next day. A big thank you to all the

students (they were complimented on their behaviour at the theatre), the staff involved and the parents and carers for the

late‐night pickups.

Mr Davis, Head of English

St Gregory’s Got Musical Talent!

Congratulations to:

Keren L, Year 13, who passed her Grade 8 piano exam with a merit.

Bryn M, Year 10, who passed his Grade 5 trumpet exam.

Joe C, Year 13, who passed his cornet Grade 7 with a merit.

Well done to Rebecca O, Year 8, who has gained a place in the Na onal Children's Orchestra of Great Britain Under 13s orchestra.

A massive thank you to all the musicians who have worked so hard this term for the numerous concerts and events ‐ it is very much appreciated!

Miss Townsend, Head of Music

Aspiring singers, musicians and crea ve people, use your

linguis c talent in French to create a song and a video. Our

school won in 2015, let us be winners again. See Madame Lemee

for more informa on. Think about it over Christmas

Get ready to take your mic and shoot a clip!

Do you think you could sing or rap in French? Do you have the skills

to make a video clip for your song? If so, this compe on is for

you! The Ins tut français du Royaume‐Uni, in associa on with

Francophonie UK, is invi ng you to submit a short video or

animated clip to accompany a song or rap in French. The

compe on is open to all UK primary and secondary schools across

the four na ons and Channel Islands. Shortlisted videos will be

streamed on a dedicated UK YouTube channel in May 2020 and the

local finalists will compete for the na onal Francophonie UK

School Music Awards as part of Fête de la Musique in June 2020!

Who: All students in UK schools + Channel Islands, from 7 to 18

years of age

What: School French music‐video contest

When: Submit your video by 3 April 2020

Win a trip to a French concert in London, book tokens galore, and tablets!

French GCSE students or A‐Level students who studied French

Win a trip to Paris with the University of London

The weekend offers the perfect chance to explore the French capital, try out your taste for croissants and see what it might be

like to live and study for your undergraduate degree in one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan ci es.

This year's compe on focuses on an important forthcoming event that will take place in Paris. To spur crea vity, we have

changed our format. This year we are invi ng you to create an image cap on. Be imagina ve and bold! For your chance to

spend a weekend in Paris simply answer two ques ons and add your snappy cap on under the image before midnight UK

me on 31 January 2020.

The winner receives two second‐class, non‐flexible return ckets to Paris (worth up to £400 maximum), as well as two nights

of three‐star accommoda on in the Hotel de France, Invalides.

Two runners‐up each receive one £50 gi card for Blackwell UK, also known as Blackwell’s and Blackwell Group. See Mrs

Lemee for informa on.

St Gregory’s Mock Elec ons On Tuesday we conducted our school wide mock elec on. S tudents were invited to go and cast their ballot in our polling sta on in the hall, either before school, during break/lunch, or a er school. As you can see from our results table below, our students voted for Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat) to return as Bath’s MP. This followed on from serval PSHE sessions in tutor me, designed by our wonderful Year 13 Poli cs students, regarding the importance of vo ng and the different candidates in Bath. All real parliamentary candidates in Bath were invited into school to state their case and answer ques ons. Unfortunately, due to the nature of this snap elec on, only Mike Davies (Labour) was able to a end. We are very grateful to Mr Davies for giving up his me. Thank you to all students who took part, and engaged posi vely with the process.

Mr Leaman – Head of History and Poli cs